Consequences of Sexual Sin

Sexual sin produces consequences that will affect us deeply.

Viewing porn is a form of sex sin committed through lust and
idolatry (see How Porn Works). If you are looking at pornography,
you are susceptible to the same consequences that result from
other forms of sexual sin. The consequences may not be easily
absolved, but God will forgive you of your sin through repentance
and faith in Jesus Christ.

Whether you have already sinned, or are thinking about doing so,
the point here is to encourage you not to sin. Here are some
examples of the consequences of sex sin:

Sex sin defiles your body and damages its ability to fulfill
God's purposes. Sex sin is unique in that we commit it against our
own bodies (1 Corinthians 6:17). Our bodies function as temples of
God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). When we use our body for sex
sin, we dishonor our body and defile God's temple. We're also
defiling the people that we are sinning with. Our lack of respect for
the body (and for God) damages our relationship with God.

Sex sin grieves God's Spirit. Any sin we practice will grieve
God's Spirit (Ephesians 4:31). It puts out the "fire" of the Holy Spirit
in our life (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The more we quench God's Spirit,
the less we will be inclined to live a changed life in righteousness.

Practicing sin forms a stronghold for evil in our lives. When

we repeatedly sin, we give evil an increasingly protected place in
our lives. The more we give in to our sinful lusts, the more they
have control over us. Paul described this as slavery to sin in
Romans 6:16. Sexual strongholds are particularly powerful, since
they involve our body, soul and spirit. Thankfully, Jesus provided
the means for us to break out of any stronghold and live for God in
righteousness.

Sex sin can bring a curse on you, your partner and/or your
children. Sex sin gives Satan a right to oppress us and our
descendants through curses (see generational curses). The
scriptural basis for generational curses is found in Exodus 34:6-7
and several other passages. Promiscuity, adultery, divorce,
infertility, frigidity and other reproductive problems can sometimes
be traced to curses arising from sexual sin (Numbers 5:11-31).
Please note that all curses can be broken by the applied blood of
Jesus (Galatians 3:13-14)

Sex sin can give evil spirits footholds to influence your life.
Romans 1:28-32 provides a vivid account of how sexual promiscuity
and idolatry opened the door to many other forms of evil. The Bible

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offers plenty of additional examples of sex sin and the ensuing
consequences (see Bible Sex Sin Examples). Perhaps the most
famous is David's sin with Bathsheba. His adultery with Bathsheba
and murder of her husband produced family strife, the death of his
son and opportunities for enemies to blaspheme God (2 Samuel 11-
12).

Sex sin can bring spiritual confusion. Spiritual confusion begins

when we start pursuing the pleasures of sin and disregard our
conscience of right and wrong. The more we pursue sin, the more
our conscience becomes dulled (1 Timothy 4:2, Titus 1:15). A dull
conscience causes us to be susceptible to enemy's lies which will
draw us progressively further from God (James 1:14). Eventually we
may not even think our actions are sinful and our ability to repent
can be hindered (Hebrews 6:1-8). Two examples of sex-related
spiritual confusion are found in Romans and 1 Kings. The people in
Romans 1:24-32 sinned through sexual immorality and idolatry and
were filled with all kinds of evil. 1 Kings 11 illustrates how
Solomon, the wisest person that ever lived, descended into spiritual
confusion through sexual idolatry with his pagan wives.

Sex sin can cause emotional confusion. Sex creates emotional

bonds ("soul ties") with our sex partner. These bonds will vary in
strength depending on the relationship. God intended this
emotional bond for marriage partners. When we bond with people
other than our spouse through sex, emotional confusion results.
This confusion can manifest in many ways. Here are some
examples:

• Recurring dreams and/or thoughts about former lovers

• Inability to achieve emotional intimacy with spouse
• Regret or bitterness toward people who hurt us in past
relationships
• Comparing our spouse with former lovers in sexual
performance
• Distorted understanding of true love (corrupted by lust or
other selfishness)
• Increased promiscuity, in attempt to find true intimacy and
love

The danger of emotional confusion is that it can hold us back from

experiencing true intimacy with our spouse and God. Emotional
confusion can also act like a curse, fueling sex addiction and other
struggles we may be having. For more info, please see our soul ties
page.
Sex sin causes lasting memories. Sex memories are created in
our brains with the help of special hormones released during sexual
arousal. The devil uses these memories to condemn us and keep us

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in bondage to lust. These memories can cause difficulties in our
sexual relationship with our spouse. Here are some examples:

• Our sexual experiences with our spouse are corrupted by

thoughts of our former lovers or porn images we've viewed
• We idolize past sexual partners...especially when we run into
difficulties in our marriage
• We feel less satisfied with our spouse's sexual performance
• Our minds are conditioned to gratify our lusts through sex
instead of showing true love and affection
• We get angry and resentful when our spouse won't help us
relive past sexual experiences or perform sex acts we've seen
in porn

Thankfully, when we follow Jesus Christ, we receive power to

overcome the memories, purify our minds and regain control of our
thought-life. See our prayers for healing memories for more info.
Sex sin can produce unloved or unwanted children. Sexual
sin has helped devalue human life such that human babies are
discarded as rubbish on an altar of convenience, pleasure and
rebellion (40 million aborted since the 1960's). Children born
through sex sin may grow up in homes where a loving father and/or
mother are absent. Their brokenness will likely be echoed through
the sexual choices they make down the road, impacting generations
to come.
Sex sin can expose us to sexually transmitted disease.
Porn's sexual fantasies do not portray the reality that sexually
transmitted diseases often accompany a life of promiscuity. There
are many different kinds of sexually transmitted diseases, most of
which bring unpleasant symptoms. The worst of these diseases,
AIDS, can cause death. Romans 1:27 contains a possible reference
to AIDS.
Sex sin can destroy marriages and families. Adultery often
destroys marriages and families. The husband and the wife will
suffer emotional, spiritual and even physical damage when the bond
of fidelity is broken. Major healing will be needed to repair the
breach. Memories created during a marriage breakup can last the
lifetime of the family and the effects can be felt up to four
generations. Viewing pornography is a form of adultery (Matthew
5:28), and its potential to damage a marriage is real and
significant. Too often it is justified as a harmless necessity by the
addicted, suggesting that it is not as damaging as physical
adultery. This is a lie!
Sex sin can lead to an unbridled pursuit of lust and
perversion. Sex sin usually feeds a growing fire of lust in our
minds. If we continue to feed that fire, we can easily drift further
and further into decadence. Paul described this state as indulgence
in every kind of impurity, with continual lust for more (Ephesians
4:19, Romans 1:24-28).

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If you have already reaped these consequences, there is hope for
recovery through Jesus. Though every consequence may not be
completely removed, God can help you make the best of your
circumstances, and get back on track in a life of happiness and
blessing.
Examples of sex sin in the Bible: We encourage you to visit this
page and read the stories for yourself. Each one can be a Bible
study in itself.